


Fighting Fire with Fire

by RaspberrySwish



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Although Aang and Appa are already dead, Avatar Azula (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Azula kills everyone I hate, Azula murders annoying people, BAMF Azula, BAMF Katara, Can't believe I almost forgot that one, Character Death, Dead Aang (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Fire Lord Ozai's A+ Parenting, He kidnaps everyone any time he feels conflicted, It's okay though he's a ghost, Kidnapping, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), M/M, Momo has a knife, Multi, Murder, None of the Gaang die though, Tags May Change, With the sole purpose of annoying Azula into being a better person, all the women are badasses basically, bc this is barely plotted out, most of that is Zuko, so much kidnapping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24792691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaspberrySwish/pseuds/RaspberrySwish
Summary: Azula is forced to flee the palace after multiple attempts at her life, which she thinks is caused by a secret conspiracy against her. With this she goes to the only people she trusts (trusts are too useless to be involved, that is): her brother and uncle, who have been looking for the Avatar for years.Little does any of them know, Azula is the Avatar, and the only conspiracy is that of her father, who got word of her airbending without her knowledge.With the help of their uncle, the twelve year old ghost of an airbending Avatar, a Waterbender they totally didn't kidnap, her brother, a surprisingly violent lemur, and others, can a conflicted Azula and Zuko realize the injustices of their father and stop him before it's too late?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula/Suki (Avatar), Azula/Suki/Ty Lee, Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 92
Kudos: 333





	1. A Change in the Air

**PROLOGUE - A CHANGE IN THE AIR**

This “Master” was even worse than the last one. Although if Azula was being honest, the one before him was pathetic as well.

Didn’t they understand who she  _ was? How important she was?  _ The favored child of the almighty Fire Lord and these… imbeciles! Were who she was supposed to learn from?

It was disgusting at best, and at worst… well, she didn’t think there was a word for it.

Li and Lo said it was a sign of her progress, her skill, how she had yet to find a challenging opponent to spar. But they didn’t understand.

They didn’t understand how it felt like to  _ really fight,  _ to feel the blood pumping through your veins, knowing at any moment that something horrible could happen, that you could…  _ fail.  _ It was invigorating, challenging, terrifying, and uncertain. But most of all it was freeing.

In the moment there were no rules, no limitations. She wasn’t just running through katas over and over, she was living. In real battle you need not be perfect, only to win. And Azula was good at winning. Almost as good as she was as being perfect.

But this sorry excuse of a firebender? That wasn’t battle.

She dispatched him easily, with two bursts of fire, one from her left hand and the other from her opposite foot. It was almost sad how he just laid there, useless against her power. But she never felt sad for her opponent. That was a sign of weakness.

“You,” she said, pointing at a stray servant mopping the courtyard. “Get the guards to take this one down to the prison for execution. He’s not even worth killing myself.”

The man dropped his mop, nodding and stammering “Yes Princess Azula,” “Of course Princess Azula,” “Whatever you say Princess Azula.”

The groveling would be distasteful if she didn’t love it so much.

“Good job Princess,” Lo said, approaching from behind her with her sister in tow.

“That was the fourth prisoner this week you’ve defeated,” Li finished.

“Yes, I guess it is,” Azula stated, knowing full well how many opponents she had bested. “It really is a shame they were all so weak. I only got to practice my lightning blasts on one of them.”

The sisters nodded.

“Well, there’s always your katas,” one suggested.

Azula whipped around to face them, fury in her eyes.

“I’m tired of the katas! All I do is train! I want to fight someone, a real someone, prove my worth to my father and the Fire Nation!”

The sisters blinked slowly before nodding again.

“All in good time Princess Azula.”

Well she was sick of waiting for time.

The next few days marked the beginning of a nationwide search for opponents, one that seemed almost as useless as the warriors it turned up, if you could even call them that. By the end of the next week Azula had taken out three more earthbenders, two firebenders, and even a captured waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe, all without breaking a sweat.

That’s why it was surprising that Lo and Li seemed so optimistic about her next opponent. 

As per her request, Azula knew nothing about each warrior before meeting them, given more to improvising and learning as she went. But by the dare she say,  _ giddy?  _ looks on the twins faces she was beginning to regret that decision. 

No matter. She would end this either way.

She moved into her starting stance, waiting for her opponent to emerge.

She waited for five seconds, then ten, an eternity in battle, before something happened.

Azula felt the air around her shift slightly, getting warmer, then almost scalding, as she rolled out of the way at the last second.

Where she had stood moments before was a smoldering mess, the stones cracked and grass burned. It was like someone had destroyed it, but no one was there.

She started to feel the air heat up again, this time even warmer, and dodged again, another blast hitting the spot she had moved from. Nothing. There was still no sign of the other person.

_ Well, then,  _ she thought.  _ So they want to play a game. _

Azula backed up into one of the pillars lining the edge of the space, waiting.

As soon as she felt the air falter, she ducked, not paying attention to the beam collapsing behind her, but to where the blast had come from.

_ There. _

She noticed the smallest bit of movement from the edge of the roof, a rustling of leaves that wasn’t the wind.

_ That  _ was where they were hiding.

Azula slowly began to weave through the courtyard, pretending she was still on the defensive as she got the perfect angle on her opponent’s hiding spot. That was when she struck.

A blast of blue fire shot out of her hand, incinerating the tree and startling the man behind it. 

His cover blown, the man sprinted around the side of the roof, firing blasts as he went.

Azula spun with the wind, dodging each blast as she felt them arrive.

That was when she noticed he hadn’t moved his hands.

This man was firebending… without moving at all!

She could see why Li and Lo were excited about this match then. They must have offered him a fortune to take the time to fight her. If she was one to show gratitude, (and she wasn’t) she might have thanked them. 

But now was the time to fight.

The man was still on the roof, firing at her from a distance. She kept dodging his blasts, but they both knew he could do this for longer than she could. She had to get closer, get them on even ground. Literally.

The next time he fired a blast, she slid to the side, throwing two bursts of fire his way in quick succession.

The tiles all around him gave way, breaking and making it impossible to dodge any more fire. If he wanted a chance he had nowhere to go but down.

The man leapt off the roof, firing another blast as he did so.

She dodged again (didn’t he get that she would just keep dodging them?) and smiled, charging towards the man, fists alight.

He jumped and she slid under him at the last second, both now committed in close combat.

The man went for the first punch, a soft hook off her left side, which she blocked with the corresponding hand. He then used the same tactic on the other side, which she blocked. Again.

What was this guy playing at? Two easy blocks? It made no sense! At this point they were just trapped in that position, staring at each other as- oh shit. She had screwed up.

The air began to slow again, the temperature climbing. She had forgotten that he could firebend without his hands. A firebending that came from  _ the tattoo on his face.  _ The one she was now staring at.

She had really fucked up this time.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Around her, the air, which had slowed and began to go hot with his firebending began to speed up, whipping around in an almost unnatural wind. Azula saw the man’s eyes widen in surprise as she smiled cruelly, sliding her leg out to trip him from underneath.

Only… her leg didn’t connect. _ Nothing connected. _ It was if he just tripped. Right when she wanted him to. Without ever touching him.

It was odd to say the least, but Azula wasn’t one to shirk luck when it was on her side, so she went down with him, a hand on his throat, keeping him pinned.

“Surrender,” she said. “I’ve won.”

The man glared at her but conceded, tapping twice on her arm for release.

Azula granted it to him, if only because she wasn't allowed to kill him, and proudly headed over to Lo and Li, who were staring at her with an indecipherable look on their faces.

“Are you two dying?” Azula asked, motioning to their appearance. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

The women kept staring.

Azula sighed.

“It’s the tree isn’t it? You’re mad about me destroying some old relic of a plant or whatever. We can have another shipped in the next couple of days, no problem.”

The women still didn’t move.

“Are you going to say anything or what?”

Finally one of them croaked out a weak reply.

“I think that’s enough practice for today. You should head to your rooms.”

Azula huffed and turned around.

“What was their  _ problem?  _ She had won, hadn’t she?”

***

She…  _ had won. _

As a teacher of firebending, Lo had seen countless fights in her lifetime, and had become an expert at pinpointing the slightest mistake, the moment when it became evident that one had lost. 

A moment like when Azula had noticed the man’s tattoo.

You don’t just undo one of those moments, that’s the end, the second it’s over, done, finished.

And yet she won. With  _ airbending  _ no less.

Lo had a sickly feeling in her stomach but she knew what she had seen.

It was undeniable, clear as day. 

_ Princess Azula was an Airbender. _

Lo met eyes with her sister, who she knew had seen the same thing she had.

_ Their charge, the Fire Lord’s daughter, was an Airbender. _

But not just any airbender.

_ Azula was the Avatar. _

And she had no idea.

For a few minutes neither sister had the strength to move, to say a word at all. For the first time in their life, they had no clue what the other was thinking, what thoughts were going through their sister’s mind. 

In their eight years of teaching the Princess they had both grown quite fond of her, thinking of her as some kind of petulant niece of sorts.

But what they had seen was undeniable. She was the Avatar, a sworn enemy of the Fire Nation.

And that treachery could not go undiscovered for much longer.

They said they had no choice, that there was no other option  _ but  _ to tell her father, but that was a lie.

Really, they cared more about their lives than hers.


	2. A Snake in the Guarden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Attempt is made on Azula's life.

**CHAPTER ONE - A SNAKE IN THE GUARDEN**

The first time someone tried to kill Azula she thought it was an accident.

Not a “I  _ accidentally  _ swung my sword at you, almost cutting your head off” accident, or “accidentally” making her tea out of poisonous leaves kind of accident, but an honest to goodness  _ mistake. _

When she thought about it the next day she realized that had been exactly the point.

It had been two days since the fight with the explosive firebender, and Azula was walking back to her chambers from the courtyard. 

The courtyard was her favorite place in the palace, probably because it also doubled as an arena of sorts when she fought prisoners and the like from across the Fire Nation. On slow days she liked to sit against the pillars there, reliving her best moments sparring. In the evening it was a quiet place, and she was surprised to find that she quite enjoyed the relative silence in the palace.

But it was getting late, and she had training first thing in the morning.

Azula approached her rooms, narrowing her eyes when the guards outside forgot to stand up straight.

With a sharp glance from her they adjusted their positions. Much better.

It was quiet when she entered her chambers, and a bit darker than usual,which luckily enough wasn’t a huge problem for someone with her skillset.

Azula snapped her fingers, holding a flame alight as she walked toward the dresser where she kept a candle for the times when firebending was less than convenient.

When she got there, however, there wasn’t a candle in sight.

“Odd,” she whispered, using her free hand to search the shelves for one.

That was even stranger. There weren't any candles there either.

In fact, there were no candles anywhere.

“Guard!” she called out. “I’d like a candle, preferably today!”

The guards didn’t answer.

“Okay, well now that’s just rude,” 

If they weren’t going to get her a candle, then fine. Who needed lights anyway? She would just sleep in what she was wearing.

Undoing her topknot, Azula let her hair fall over her shoulders and slid into bed.

It was fine for about half a second, and then her bed began  _ to move. _

_ What the- _

She sprang up, throwing off her covers and pressing her back against the wall.

_ What- Why- How- _

Her hand aflame for light, Azula slowly watched her blankets move as a snake slithered out, hissing at the sight of her.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she bit back a shriek and tried to think rationally.

She had seen a good deal of snakes in the Fire Nation but she had never seen one quite like this.

It was black, that much she could tell, with white markings along its back and head. The snake met eyes with Azula and let out another hiss, the flaps on the sides of its head spreading out as if it had suddenly grown giant ears.

Oh, what was that  _ called? _

She remembered something Mai had mentioned once when they were playing. It was faint, as it had been a few years back, and Azula didn’t pay much attention to things that didn’t affect her in some way, but this snake looked different, dangerous,  _ deadly. _

For a second she wondered if it was sent to kill her.

If that was true then she had to be careful. She couldn’t just burn this wretched creature into oblivion, she had to kill it quietly, save its body, and show it to Mai. Mai would know what to do.

Azula pinched her fingers together, rubbing them back and forth a few times to gather friction. The move she was about to attempt was a difficult one, even for her, and almost as volatile as it was rare. She had found it mentioned once in a book in her grandfather’s study, back when he was still alive, and his books readable. 

As she rubbed her fingers, a small spark began to form, about the size of a grain of rice, but hot enough for a flame ten times its size.

She took a deep breath in, and began to aim, knowing the smallest adjustment in the wrong direction could cause her to set the sheets on fire, or herself for that matter, alerting any possible malcontents.

This would have to be exact. 

_ Perfect. _

When she was certain that the snake wasn’t going to move, Azula flicked her fingers, sending the spark right at the creature's head, and then inside it through the eyes. She waited less than a second before extinguishing it, but from the way the snake slumped over she knew it had done the trick.

She had melted its brain. Or more accurately, set it on fire from the inside out.

Now, chances were this was just a stray animal who had gotten lost, but if Azula knew anything from her father it was that a trusting ruler was a dead ruler. 

If this was really a plot against her, then she wasn’t safe where she was.

For all she knew, someone could slip in a second snake as soon as she fell asleep.

I mean, how did they even get access to the Princess’s Rooms?

Her windows were locked, she had just checked. There was only the one door to the hall, the one those guards were protecting.

Or… not?

Azula remembered the silence when she had asked for a candle. Could it be possible that those idiots were paid off? Perhaps. The kind of person who would try to kill her would have the kind of resources to bribe two guards to leave their posts. Especially guards as disrespectful as those two.

She peeked her head into the hallway, smiling awkwardly when she ran into the two men, one of which jumped in surprise. Guess that bribing theory was a bust.  _ Maybe this all really was in her head. _

“Princess Azula,” one asked. “Is there something you needed?”

Her mind went blank.

“I- erm, just needed a drink of water. Not that it’s any of your business.”

_ Nice save, _ she thought.

She waved to the closest servant, who brought her the water, before ducking back into her rooms, careful not to take a sip.

She poured the drink into the nearest plant, a bonsai tree her uncle gave her for her fourteenth birthday a few months earlier. 

_ Stupid old man, _ she thought.  _ Who wants a tree, and a little one no less! They’re literally everywhere! Maybe the water would kill it at least, if it was poisoned like she feared. _

Poisoned or not, plot or not, her paranoia wouldn’t allow her to stay in this room much longer than she already had. 

Luckily there was an empty one right next door. Getting there only involved unlocking her window and shimmying across the roof late at night, without falling or being spotted. What could go wrong?

The answer was… not much actually.

Apparently her father’s soldiers weren’t actively prepared for someone sneaking into the royal rooms late at night. She reminded herself to remedy that when she was sure this was all over.

On the topic of royal rooms, her brother’s looked the same as it had the day he left.

Empty and stripped bare, with barely a sheet on the bed.

It almost looked like he was never there, if not for the nail in the wall where he hung that stupid blue Fire Festival mask their mother brought him from the colonies.

The trip she didn’t bother to get Azula anything from.

Her heart raced as she began to think about her mother. 

_ This was a bad idea, she should just go back to her room, it was nothing, just a lost creature- _

Only fourteen years of training stopped her from doing just that.

She snatched the sheet off of Zuko’s bed and sat by the window, depending on the sunrise to wake her up in time. 

The sooner she could get back to normal, the better.

She woke up to a wet feeling on her cheek.

For a moment Azula forgot where she was, but that stopped abruptly when she looked around the room.

Zuzu’s old bedroom looked even worse with the first lights of dawn, and her stomach twisted when she spotted familiar scorch marks against the wall, the same ones she made when she was a toddler, showing him her firebending in the worst of places.

She had to get out of here.

Making the trip across the roof was a bit harder in the light, with the threat of being spotted a thousand times worse than before.

However, Azula was no mere teenager sneaking out, she was highly trained, and managed to enter her room yet again without too much difficulty.

Her chambers looked untouched since the night before, which was a relief.

She grabbed the snake’s body from the drawer she had stuffed it in, and after a quick change into acceptable robes, she rushed out, determined to get through her firebending lesson as quickly as possible so she could meet up with Mai to get to the bottom of this.

When she arrived in the courtyard, Lo and Li sent her another one of their strange glances, which had been almost constant the past few days.

Azula didn’t quite understand what exactly she did, per se, but some crazy old ladies weren’t her main worry at the moment, judging by the rotting corpse currently resting in her front pocket. 

She sped through her lesson as quick as possible, actually grateful for once that she didn’t have any opponents to spar. Who knew what would happen if she accidentally dropped the snake in the middle of a fight?

The routine of her training didn’t put her at ease though, in fact it did the opposite.

With every cold glance from Lo and Li she felt her muscles stiffen, and with each press of the snake’s dead body against her torso, her teeth clenched. 

Her fire was erratic and her lighting uncontrollable, although her intensity was the same as ever. She could tell by the look on her teacher’s faces that they were uncomfortable, even  _ scared.  _

Finally, they ended the session, barely saying a word to her before dashing off to who knows where.

“Well,” Azula murmured aloud. “At least now I can get going.”

***

It had been almost five months since she had stepped foot in Mai’s house, and it took Azula a moment to remember which one it was.

Mai’s parents lived in Caldera City, but still within walking distance of the palace, as part of the zone reserved for high ranking officials like her father.

When Azula knocked on the door, the maid let her in immediately, bowing, before telling her that “they were in the study”.

She wasn’t entirely sure who ‘they’ consisted of, but from context she could guess the maid meant Mai.

As Azula slowly approached the screened door that led to the study, she stopped in her tracks at a familiar shriek.

“I can’t believe you’re moving to the Colonies!” shouted Ty Lee from inside.

So that was who  _ they  _ was.

Ty Lee and Mai, hanging out.  _ Without her.  _

Her stomach gave a painful twist.

They thought they could do things without inviting her? Without including her? 

Well, she was here now, and she could show them.

“So, you’re moving to the Colonies then, Mai?” Azula asked, opening the door and making her presence known. “I couldn't help but overhear.”

“Azula!” Ty Lee smiled. “Nice to see you here!”

“I wasn’t aware you were coming,” Mai frowned. “May I ask what sparked this visit?”

“Probably the move, of course!” Ty Lee said. “To think, Mai’s dad is going to be a governor in the Earth Kingdom!”

“More like the Dirt Kingdom,” Mai groaned.

“Actually,” Azula said, leaning against the doorframe. “I came here for another reason entirely.”

“Oh?”

“Recently I saw a snake around the palace grounds,” she lied. “I was hoping you could tell me some things about it.”

Mai shrugged.

“Why would I know anything about some random snake?”

Azula moved towards them and took a seat next to her on the couch.

“I pay attention. Besides, you’re… creepy.”

“Creepy… Thanks.”

“Of course.”

“So,” Mai said, meeting her eyes. “Can you tell me anything about this snake?”

Azula grinned, and plopped the body onto the table.

“I can do you one better.”

“Is it alive?” Ty Lee whispered, poking at it with her finger.

“Not anymore,” Azula replied.

Mai took the snake, holding it up to the light.

“How did you even kill it? I don’t see any scorch marks.”

Azula gave her a mysterious smile.

“I have my ways.”

“Right… Well, this was obviously somebody’s pet you murdered.”

Ty Lee frowned.

“They must be so sad, now that their friend is dead.”

Mai gave her a look.

“With a snake like this, better dead than on the loose.”

Azula cocked an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“This is a Zhoushan Cobra,” Mai explained. “Pretty common in parts of the Earth Kingdom. Incredibly venomous too.”

Ty Lee looked like she regretted poking it earlier.

“So this kind of thing… could kill you?” Azula asked.

Mai nodded.

“Most people die without treatment. You’re lucky you didn’t get bit.”

Azula frowned, thinking about how it was placed in her room.

“Very lucky indeed…”

***

Azula was much more prepared for the second attack than the first.

It happened at night, four days after she had learned of the snake’s origins.

Since then she had been on high alert, watching for anything out of the ordinary, anything that indicated another attempt at her life.

For four days it was silent, the oddest thing being what Azula was sure was her firebending teachers slowly going insane.

Then she woke up to a noise outside her window.

She was out of bed in an instant, fists blazing as she threw blue flame at her attackers, a group of five men and one woman clad in black.

They had snuck across the roof, the same route she had taken to hide in Zuko’s room days before. But they weren’t here to hide. They wanted her dead.

As she rolled out onto the roof Azula yelled for her guards, knocking one of the men down into the courtyard with a kick to the ribs at the same time. 

Even with the one man stuck below there were still five other assassins, three of which, judging from the flames in their hands, could firebend.

She would really like those guards right about now!

Azula risked a quick look back into her chambers, her walls shaking as guards tried to ram down her door. (Why did she think it was a good idea to lock it?)

As she looked back, the smallest of the four men sent a burst of flame her way, barely missing the side of her head.

Wrong idea, buddy.

Azula leapt forward, throwing an elbow at the man, then kicking down with her leg, letting out a small laugh as he fell off the roof.

The other four wouldn’t forget who they were dealing with any time soon.

Using lighting, Azula was able to take out two more before the guards entered her room, three of which took out the last remaining man as he tried to get the jump on her, leaving her with the woman, obviously the most skilled of the bunch.

She was quick, and her bending wasn’t terrible, but she was terribly outnumbered, and soon she was being rounded up below with the rest of the assassins.

“Decent enough with the assist,” Azula told the group of guards once they were safely back in her room. “Not that I needed it.”

The closest guard smiled cruelly, shoving her hands behind her back. “I wouldn’t be so sure,  _ Princess.” _

The guards rushed in, and that was when her vision went white.

***

Azula woke up to a horrible headache and a lingering scent of blood.

“What happened?” she groaned, opening her eyes.

She found herself in the middle of a forest, one she recognized as being almost five miles outside of the city.

“How did I get here?”

She spotted the bodies lying around her, that of six dead guards, more scattered in the vicinity. 

“And what happened to them?”

She didn’t remember anything after the attack. 

They had defeated the assassins, and then what?

_ The Guards. _

They turned on her, trying to lock her up, and she fought back.  _ She fought. _

_ Had… she done this? _

No. That didn’t explain how they got so far out of the city. It’s not like she just, whisked them there.

They were probably trying to take her somewhere, to whatever traitorous enemy of her father’s had been trying to get her killed.

It was someone inside the Fire Nation no doubt, someone important and rich enough to get these guards on their side.

They wanted the Fire Lord defenseless. Without her, there would be no one to take the throne should something happen to her father.

She had to warn him.

_ No. _

Something strange stirred in her gut, warning her not to go back to the palace.

This traitor could have eyes anywhere, spies could be anyone.

She had to be calculated about this, make an approach with evidence and support. Throw her would-be-killer off guard.

Her father could handle himself in her absence. 

Her first priority had to be getting away from here, regrouping, getting stronger.

She had to find somewhere safe, far enough to be out of this traitor’s influence, but still connected enough to have allies.

She sighed.

She had to find her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I legally had to do that with the chapter title and no, I am not sorry.  
> However, I am sorry for the fact that I cannot write Mai decently.


	3. A Ship in the South

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula meets up with Zuko and helps him investigate a village in the South Pole.

**CHAPTER TWO - A SHIP IN THE SOUTH**

It wasn’t that hard for Azula to track down Zuko’s ship.

That said, it wasn't terribly easy either.

Over the month since she had left the palace, a plan had been formulating in her mind, a plan how she would return victorious, a small army in tow to root out the traitor who had tried to kill her. 

Unfortunately, that plan rested on one thing.

Stealing her brother’s ship.

In the past two weeks she had learned one thing about being on her own: transportation was essential.

It was a long journey from the heart of the Fire Nation to the waters of the South Pole, one she wasn’t planning on taking again, at least without a warship.

Luckily, she was in just the place to get one.

Her brother’s ship was out of the way, not part of any fleet or armada, and had the perk of her father not caring that she had stolen it. 

All in all, it was the perfect target.

Although that wouldn’t make taking it any less awkward.

She sighed, watching her breath disperse in the cold air. 

At least it would be warmer than this.

With the ship slowing in the distance Azula decided it was time to make her move.

Using her bending, she took off towards them, jets of blue flame billowing out of her fists behind her.

She knew nothing if not to make a good entrance.

***

Zuko scanned the icy horizon, looking for any sign of life among the ice.

“Prince Zuko,” his Uncle started. “We’ve been out here for days. Perhaps it is time to turn back.”

He whipped his head around, ponytail flapping in the breeze.

“Turn back? We can’t turn back until I’ve captured the Avatar!”

Iroh just sighed, taking another sip of his tea.

“We have been down this road before Prince Zuko, first in the Earth Kingdom, then the North Pole, then-”

“Uncle, look!”

Zuko pointing at a strange blue light among the sky.

“That could be him, the Avatar!”

Iroh poured himself another cup of tea, doubtful.

But Zuko wasn’t assuaged yet.

“See, it’s coming closer!”

Iroh looked up from his game.

Zuko was right, it  _ was  _ coming closer.

Only… it seemed to be a person.

Zuko was practically shaking by now, falling into a basic firebending stance as the figure approached their ship, wreathed in a cloud of blue flame.

Azula was almost at the ship, her brother in sight, crouched into a sad sort of bending stance, rivaled only by the worse state of his haircut.

“Aw, poor Zuzu,” she smirked. “Surely you wouldn’t deign to attack your own  _ sister?  _ Or has banishment really taken such a toll on you?”

Surprise flashed across her brother’s face as he warily crept out of his stance.

“ _ Azula?” _

She smiled. 

“Don’t look so surprised.”

“Why are you here, Azula?” Iroh said harshly, standing up and moving to Zuko’s side.

She scoffed.

Of course  _ he  _ would be the one to take her brother’s side. Typical.

“Can’t a little sister visit her big brother halfway around the world?” she replied.

Iroh’s eyes narrowed.

“Ugh, fine. I’m here to commandeer your ship. You have exactly two hours before your crew is set to belong to me.”

“ _ WHAT!? _ ” Zuko yelled, his face turning a shade of red that rivaled his clothes.

Azula smiled, waving her hand through the air by the side of his head.

“I think you’ve got a little smoke coming out of your ears there, brother.”

“You- YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” he screamed.

Azula just shook her head.

“I just did.”

“On whose authority?” their Uncle asked.

Azula glared at him.

He wanted to know if her father had told her to do this. He was smarter than he looked, drinking tea all day and playing games.

“Mine,” she answered.

“Yours?!” Zuko fumed. “You don’t have the authority to do anything of the sort!”

“Says the boy who’s been banished.”

“Says the girl who’s been… ugh!”

“Stop this!” Iroh said, raising his voice for the first time as he glared at Azula.

“Why do you even need a ship anyways? The Royal Navy has hundreds you can use.”

She narrowed her eyes at the old man. He was proving to be more of a problem than she had thought.

“Let’s just say that the rest of them are… unavailable to me at the moment.”

Now it was Zuko’s turn to get suspicious.

“And why would that be? I thought you were the perfect one.”

“I am perfect!” she snapped.

“It doesn’t sound like it. It sounds like you made a mistake.”

“I didn’t make a mistake! Someone tried to kill me!”

The smug look faded off his face.

“What?”

She rolled her eyes.

“It’s none of your business, but someone tried to kill me a few times back in the palace, and so I had to leave for the time being.”

“Who tried to kill you?” her brother asked.

“Hell if I know. That’s why I need your boat, to get back there with a bunch of soldiers, and kill whoever was behind it.”

This whole time Uncle had been off to the side, paused in thought. Finally he spoke.

“Tell me about the killers.”

She huffed.

“Fine. But only to kill time before I get this ship.”

“You aren’t getting this ship!”

Azula stuck out her tongue at Zuko.

“First it was a snake. Some kind of Cobra from the Earth Kingdom, started with a ‘Z’”

“The Zhoushan Cobra,” Iroh interrupted.

She gave him a glance.

“Right… That one I found in my bed. I killed it, of course, showed it to someone who told me what it was.”

Their Uncle nodded distractedly, as if he was remembering something.

“Continue, please.”

She tilted her chin, annoyed that he had tried to boss her around.

“Next were a group of assassins in black. Six of them. I heard them on the roof a few days later, and captured them all with the help of some guards.”

Iroh nodded again.

“And then?”

“Then the guards turned on me, and I killed them. I think.”

“You think?” Zuko said.

She gave him a look.

“The next thing I remember they were all dead. And I don’t know who else would have killed them all, but yeah,  _ I think.” _

“Because the guards tried to kill me, I assumed whoever was after me had pull in the palace, so I left, with a plan to get a ship, come back with a small army, and kill whoever was plotting against me. Are you happy now?”

Zuko gave her an almost (and I mean  _ almost)  _ non-threatening look before asking, “But why take this ship? We’re so far away from home.”

Azula gave him a cruel smile, by far the cruelest of all the cruel smiles she had given them so far (and she had given them a lot.)

“Because,” she said. “This is a boat  _ no one will miss.” _

***

It had been two hours and thirty eight minutes and the ship had still yet to change its course.

After sufficiently harassing her brother for the time being, Azula had retired to the Captain’s quarters, which she had forcefully borrowed.

Sitting in the Captain’s fancy chair and looking scary was a fun enough pastime, but her deadline had passed, and it was high time for her to scare some sense into this pathetically loyal crew her Uncle had amassed.

By now she had realized that it was really her Uncle behind this all, that he was the one in charge, and not just by rank.

She had originally made a mistake when assessing the old man. He was lazy, and fat, and drank way too much tea, but beneath that he was a general, a disgraced one, but still, one did not ascend to that position without some modicum of intelligence and wit. 

That was something she would have to look out for in the future.

And by the future, Azula meant, in about four minutes.

She stood up, knocking whatever remained of the Captain's belongings after her feet had found their way onto his desk onto the floor and exited the Captain’s Quarters, making her way up to the wheel.

“Captain?” she asked, appearing behind him suddenly. “Why have we not changed course?”

The Captain flinched at his sudden arrival before stuttering out an excuse.

“The- The tides will not permit it Princess.”

_ The tides? Did he take her for a fool? She may not be a Captain but she was not an idiot. She knew that the tides had nothing to do with changing the direction of a boat at sea! _

She took a breath, calming herself. This had to be a ploy of her Uncle’s, or otherwise that of her brother, some feeble attempt to try and keep control of their ship. 

Well, she was rather good at ploys herself.

_ Let them keep playing this game,  _ Azula thought.  _ They cannot keep making excuses forever. _

“The tides will not permit us to change course?” she said aloud. “Very interesting. May I ask what this course is?”

The Captain gulped nervously.

“One of the villages in the South ma’am. Water Tribe. The Prince is due to ask them about the Avatar.”

She let out a puff of air.

_ The Avatar.  _ A children’s story, used to scare young Fire Nation children. Be careful! You don’t want to attract the attention of the Avatar! He hates the Fire Nation and everyone in it, a traitor to his own people. He may have disappeared over a hundred years ago, but some believe he’s still out there, waiting for a chance to strike.

It was ridiculous. 

And after three years her brother was still chasing him.

It was sad, really. There was no way he would actually find the Avatar. At best he could find something valuable enough to earn him a small place back home. Not that she would ever tell him that. 

The longer he was gone, the better for her. No one to lose to.  _ But no one to protect her either. _

Azula shook her head, removing the unwelcome thought from her mind. They would be at the village soon, Zuzu could look for the Avatar for his heart’s content, and then Azula would get the ship. She would get to go back home.

***

Sokka didn’t believe it when the first flake of black snow landed on his tongue.

His eyes were closed, head tilted back at the sky, but from the moment he tasted it, the wet mix of ash and soot, he knew exactly what it meant.

The Fire Nation was coming.

And he was the only thing standing between them and everything he held dear.

He sped back to his hut as quick as he could, almost bowling over Gran Gran in the doorway, holding his boomerang, wrapped in a layer of cloth.

She met his eyes with a solemn nod before speaking.

“Time is running out. Your sister is at the snow wall waiting for you.”

“Katara?” he asked. “What about you?”

Gran Gran placed a wrinkled hand on his shoulder.

“I will be fine with the others. It is your sister you should worry about. She cannot hold them off alone.”

“She shouldn’t be holding them off at all!” he snapped, before realizing his mistake and giving his grandmother a quick hug. “She’s going to get herself killed out there. Just like…”

Gran Gran met his eyes.

“She is not your mother.”

He said nothing and took the boomerang, rushing towards the snow wall without another word.

Katara wouldn’t end up like Mom. She couldn’t. Because this time, he was going to be there, protecting her.

No one would mess with his little sister.

***

When he got to what remained of the snow wall, people were messing with his little sister. Figures.

From the look of it, there was only one battleship, obviously Fire Nation, even without the other hints. The ship had crashed through the wall, as well as his shoddy lookout tower, and the plank was currently being lowered down from the side.

They were getting off.

He slid over to where Katara was hidden, taking a knee next to her as they watched the ship.

“What did I miss?” he asked.

Katara gestured to the crushed snow wall, not saying a word.

Sokka blinked.

“O-kay. Can you see anything?”

When she didn’t reply again he put his hands on her shoulders, trying to lift himself up so he could get a better view.

“Get off me!” she hissed. “I can’t see anything!”

He gave her a shove.

“You aren’t even supposed to be here!”

Katara whipped around, her hair loops spinning with her.

“Where else would you have me be? I’m the only waterbender in the whole Southern tribe.”

“You’re also a girl.”

She gave him a withering stare.

“That’s really what you’re focusing on right now? The Fire Nation is attacking and you’re saying I can’t fight because I’m  _ a girl?” _

“Ugh, I-”

“Just leave me alone. Something’s happening.”

Katara was the worst! Didn’t she get that he didn’t mean it  _ like that?  _ She was fourteen years old, a little girl, too young to fight. He was fifteen, ages older and had been preparing for this his whole life. Dad had left him in charge. He was supposed to defend the village.

Just because Katara could splish splash with her magic water didn’t mean she could actually fight anyone! For all he knew, she could barely throw a boomerang.

She was going to get herself killed. And he was supposed to stop that.

He snapped out of it with the sound of a voice. A very loud voice. Yelling. 

“Members of the Southern Water Tribe,” a boy yelled, “We are looking for the Avatar. Any information you can provide will ensure our quick and speedy departure. Do not attempt to lie to me.”

The boy was dressed in red, typical for the Fire Nation, and was followed off the boat by an old man, and a bored looking girl, who was currently leaning against the hull of their ship.

“The Avatar?” he said to Katara, “Why would the Avatar be here?”

“Katara?”

_ Shit.  _

“Katara get back here!” he hissed, noticing a flash of blue off to the side.

What was she doing?

“Distract them!” she whispered back, gesturing to the firebenders.

Sokka cursed under his breath.

Katara better know what she’s doing…

“HEY KID!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “I KNOW WHERE THE AVATAR IS!”

The boy turned to him, and Sokka noticed one of his eyes was ringed with a burn scar, probably the results of some jerkbending gone wrong. Good for him, then.

“Where? Where is he?” the boy asked.

Sokka smiled. 

“UP YOUR MOM’S ASS, THAT’S WHERE!”

The boy paused for a second in confusion before shifting into rage.

“This is no time for jokes! Tell me where the Avatar is!”

Sokka glanced off to the side for his sister, but Katara was nowhere to be found.

Where was she-

Oh. Oh no. 

“FOR KYA!”

Katara charged in towards the boy, a large pool of water held above her head.

Her assault was stopped in seconds.

As Katara approached the boy, the girl from the side of the boat lashed out, tripping her and holding a flame to her throat as the water crashed down harmlessly.

Sokka screamed and readied his boomerang.

“Get away from my sister, you bitch!”

The girl laughed as his boomerang flew by, missing her head by feet.

“Wait for it…”

CLANG!

The boomerang reverberated off the boy’s helmet, bringing him to the ground.

The girl gave Sokka a look.

“Okay,” he mumbled. “So maybe I need to work on my aim,”

“Prince Zuko,” the old man said, rushing to the boy’s side.

“Are you okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” the girl snapped. “I’ve tolerated your silly detour enough. I want my ship, and will be taking this  _ waterbender  _ with me. I think father would be quite surprised to learn that the Water Tribes are being disobedient, on top of everything else.”

Sokka gulped, leaning down behind what was left of the snow wall.

They were taking Katara! 

As the Firebenders headed back towards their ship, he began to follow, considering the information he had just learned.

One way or another, he was getting on that ship.

He was getting to his sister.

And nothing was going to stand in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love both Sokka and Katara but they are such dumbasses in this chapter I-  
> the things you do for Plot


	4. A Prisoner in the Brig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara is captured on a Fire Nation ship, but maybe it's not as hopeless as it seems...

**CHAPTER THREE - A PRISONER IN THE BRIG**

“Where are you taking me? Let go of me! I want to go home! Sokka! Please I want to see my brother!” Katara screamed anything she could think of as she was hauled down to the brig, the firebender girl’s fingernails digging into the flesh of her arm.

“Why are you doing this?” she cried. “You killed my mother, why let me live?”

The girl gave her an irritated look before speaking.

“I know nothing of your mother, and you are only alive because I say. Keep talking about it and I can change my mind at any time.”

Katara quieted down at that, sulking as she was shoved into a room full of cells, or rather, a room with two cells.

The brig was small for a ship like this, Katara assumed, seeing as she had never been on a warship of any kind. It had two cells, a wooden one, more a box than a cell, with an iron one next to it, with rows of simple bars. This was the cell the girl pushed Katara in, unadorned, except for a single sleeping mat on the cold metal floor.

“A guard should bring down your dinner later,” the girl said, before turning to leave.

“Wait!” Katara shouted.

The girl slowly turned around, arms crossed. 

“Yes?”

Katara gestured towards the wooden cell.

“Who’s in there?”

The girl gave it a look.

“No one. Apparently, it’s supposed to be able to hold the Avatar.”

Katara blinked.

“It’s made of wood.”

“And?”

“The Avatar could just waterbend from the wood and escape.”

The girl paused for a second, before beginning to laugh almost hysterically.

Katara’s eyes widened.

What the fuck?

The manic laughter died off after a few seconds, as the girl grinned.

Now Katara was even more confused.

“That’s just like Zuzu, having a wooden cell for the Avatar on a metal ship,” the girl said. “No wonder I always won.”

“Who’s Zuzu?” Katara asked.

The girl didn’t even turn. 

“My idiot brother.”

Katara smiled, thinking of her own idiot brother.

“I have a brother too. His name is Sokka and we grew up together back in the village. You know, he always-”

The girl spun around, eyes alight with hostility.

“Don’t try to sympathize yourself with me, waterbender!”

Katara jumped back, remembering exactly where she was and who she was with.

“I wasn’t, I was just talking, I-”

The girl turned around and left the room, leaving Katara alone in the brig.

“My name isn’t _waterbender_ ,” she whispered. “It’s Katara.”

***

When Azula got the infirmary, her Uncle had already claimed a seat by her brother’s side, as the doctor checked him for a concussion. It was predictable, to say the least, possibly more so than it was sad.

“Feeling better, Zuzu?” she taunted, as the ship’s doctor finished examining his wound.

“What do you want, Azula?” he snapped. “Haven’t you done enough damage already?”

“I’m just checking in to make sure my brother’s okay,” she said. “Isn’t that what good little sisters are supposed to do?”

Zuko didn’t say a word.

“Prince Zuko is fine, Azula.” Iroh said, once it was evident that Zuko wasn't going to say anything more. “But that’s not why you’re really here, is it?”

Azula smiled.

“So observant, Uncle! Too bad you didn’t notice the ambush you sent your only son to die in.”

Iroh glared as she continued.

“As I was saying, since I am such a kind and thoughtful little sister, I thought I’d do you a favor, and give you both one chance to leave my ship before I have to arrest you both.”

“Arrest us?” Zuko asked. “Why would you- How could you- I’m a Prince!”

Azula sighed.

“A _banished_ Prince, brother. And since you seem to forget, I’m going to be heading to the Fire Nation.”

Zuko paled.

“You’re taking me home?” he squeaked.

“If you wish to return in chains, then yes.”

“This stop you speak of,” Iroh said quietly. “When will we arrive?”

“Uncle-” Zuko began.

Azula cut him off.

“Good choice. We should hit the Southern Air Temple in about two days.”

“The Southern Air Temple?!” Zuko screeched. “That’s hundreds of feet off the ground, we’ll practically be marooned.”

Azula grinned. That was just what she was counting on.

“Sorry Zuzu, but at that point it’s not really my problem anymore.”

She turned around, striding out of the infirmary, when she ran into a guard, the impact knocking her to the floor.

Her nostrils flared with rage.

“Watch where you’re going or I’ll-”

“Princess, General,” the guard called urgently. “The prisoner has escaped her cell!”

***

Sokka was way too old to be crawling through the vents. 

Or maybe too young.

He didn’t think there was any age where it was a good idea to sneak around in the air ducts of a Fire Nation battleship, but here he was, so they were well past what he _should_ be doing.

Now he just needed to find Katara.

He had snuck aboard the ship at the last moment, right before it had left their tribe. 

Using the helmet he had knocked off that firebender’s head, he followed some soldiers, obviously not paying enough attention to notice a boy wearing full Water Tribe battle gear with only a Fire Nation helmet on top.

Figures they wouldn’t notice him sneaking away either.

At this point Sokka regretted leaving the helmet when he entered the vents. 

His disguise was a terrible plan, but it was better than swallowing spiderwebs and having to listen to some random guy brag about his son, Chan.

At this rate, it would take days to find Katara.

_“Wait!”_

Sokka’s eyes widened, hearing his little sister’s voice.

_Or not, then._

He crawled toward the source of the noise, watching as she talked with the Fire Nation girl from earlier.

The girl had brought Katara to some sort of miniature prison from the looks of it, placing her in a small metal cage.

His eyes narrowed.

He was going to kill this girl.

Sokka watched quietly through the grate as Katara continued to converse with the girl, somehow forgetting she was _a_ _dangerous firebender,_ the same type of person as the one who, I don’t know, _killed their mother?_

He stared as his sister began to get more conversational, even bringing his name into the mix, before the girl snapped and fled, leaving Katara alone in the cell.

Alone, except for him, of course.

“Katara!” he hissed.

She looked up, scanning the room.

“Sokka?”

“Katara, up here!”

Her eyes kept looking, finally landing on the grate.

“ _Sokka?_ ”

He hit the grate with all his weight, wincing when it hit the floor.

“Don’t be so surprised.”

“Sokka, what are you doing here?” she whispered. “She could come back any minute!”

He smiled.

“I’m here to make sure you’re not here when she does. Now where’s the key?”

She pointed to the wall, where the keyring was hanging.

“There.”

Sokka grabbed it, giving her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

“You’ll be out in no time sis, just have to find the right one.”

Katara dramatically rolled her eyes.

“We’ll be here for hours, then.”

Sokka just shook his head.

“Fun to see you can’t even be nice to me when I’m breaking you out of prison. Hope you know I can just turn around, go back through the vents without you, if I like.”

She gave him a look.

“Please tell me your escape plan is more complicated than ‘going back through the vents,’”

He faked a gasp.

“How dare you! I can attest that my plan involves two warships, an army of waterbenders, not to mention all the warriors the South Pole has to offer.”

Before Katara could reply, the key turned, cell swinging open, and his little sister was in his arms.

“I missed you so much,” she whispered, hugging her brother.

He was about to make a comment about how it had only been a few hours before letting out a breath and hugging her back.

“I missed you too.”

A pause.

“So, are you ready to crawl through some vents?”

***

Turns out, Katara was not ready to crawl through some vents, go figure.

It was dark, and drafty, and Sokka obviously had no idea where they were going, as he pulled to a complete stop at each and every turn. 

Come to think of it, she didn’t know where they were going either.

“Just admit it,” she said. “You’re lost!”

“I’m not!” he snapped back, trying and failing to turn and face her in the narrow vents.

“I’m just a little turned around, is all.”

She scoffed.

“Sure. Where were we heading again?”

Katara could hear her brother sigh.

“Off this ship.”

“That’s your entire plan? To escape?”

He stopped again at another fork, looking both ways.

“I don’t see you coming up with anything better!”

“You- you’re intolerable! I just got broken out of prison, I’ve been a little too busy to-”

“Katara, shush!”

She paused for a moment.

“Why would I-”

“Would you be quiet, I think I heard something!”

She stopped moving, craning her ears for any nearby sounds.

There _was_ a noise, a faint one, coming from what seemed to be the shaft to their right.

“We should follow it,” she whispered, “turn right.”

Sokka gave her what she assumed to be an incredulous look.

“Why would we do that? We want to head _away_ from the evil Fire Nation soldiers, not towards them!”

 _It’s not like this plan is getting us anywhere,_ she thought.

“Do you have any better ideas?”

The tunnel on the right was short, continuing on for about two polar bear dog’s lengths before stopping at a grate, like the one Sokka broke back in the brig.

Katara was in back, unable to see anything, but she could hear the noise clear as day, someone whistling, a guard most likely, pacing back and forth.

“What’s he doing?” she asked her brother quietly, careful to make as little noise as possible.

“He’s guarding a canoe,” Sokka replied.

A canoe!

This could be it, their chance to escape! They just had to find a way to get the guard away from the canoe and-”

“Zan, come quick, the prisoners have escaped!” a guard burst in, beckoning the other away from the boat.

Sokka and Katara held their breath as the guards left, letting out a sigh once they were gone.

“Well that was easy,” Sokka mumbled.

“Yeah,” Katara smiled. “Can you get us out of these vents?”

Sokka bashed his elbow against the grate, jumping out as it fell to the floor.

“You underestimate my skills, dear sister.”

She laughed.

“That requires you to have them. Now, how do we steal this canoe?”

Stealing the canoe was easier said than done, explained Sokka. 

It was being stored in the hull with the other vehicles, so they would have to get it to the top deck and lower themselves into the water to escape.

“But how will we get it up there?” Katara asked. “They know we escaped, and there'll be people everywhere, especially up top.”

He nodded.

“That’s where the guards come in.”

“The guards?”

“Exactly. The canoe is too big to fit in the vents, so we’ll have to disguise ourselves as guards to carry it to the deck and escape.”

“But won’t they recognize us? Two Water Tribe kids can’t exactly pass for fully grown Fire Nation Soldiers _that easy_.”

Sokka smiled.

“But they aren’t looking for two of us. As long as we stick together, and try and talk as little as possible, we should be able to bluff our way up top. Hopefully they’ll be too distracted by your escape to notice.”

Katara nodded. It seemed difficult, but not impossible. 

Looking up, she noticed Sokka climbing back into the vents, the metal creaking as he did so.

“Where are you going?” she hissed.

He turned to look at her.

“I think I saw some uniforms laying out a few rooms back, I’m going to get them. Just stay and guard the canoe, okay?”

“The canoe? What do I do if someone finds me?”

He shrugged.

“Hit them with your magic water or something.”

“My water? I don’t have any water!”

He gave her a look.

“We’re on a boat, it shouldn’t be that hard to find some.”

“A boat? The entire point of boats is to keep the water _out!_ Sokka? Sokka are you listening to me? Sokka come back, I know you can hear me!”

She huffed in frustration.

“Boys.”

Sokka returned after a few minutes, pushing two helmets and suits out through the vents and into Katara’s waiting arms.

The disguises were smelly, and much too large, but they seemed to work well enough, at least for Sokka. There was a bit of a problem on Katara’s end, though.

“You have to take it off!” Sokka said, gesturing to her necklace.

Katara clutched at her neck protectively.

“What if I lose it? It’s the only thing I have of Mom!”

“If Mom were here, she would say that you escaping the Fire Nation is more important than some trinket!”

“She isn’t, and you don’t know that!”

Sokka sighed and gave her a look.

“Katara.”

She stiffened.

“If you get caught again, I won’t be on the outside to help you. Your necklace is a risk, you can see it right through the uniform, and if someone spots it-”

“They won’t.”

He sighed again.

“Fine. We’re running out of time, if we want to make our escape, we need to do it soon, before we get too far from the village.”

“So it’s settled.”

“No, it’s- Listen, you need to be careful. If you get seen with that, we’re goners. So just- be safe, okay?”

She nodded, pleased to get her way for the second time that day.

“I won’t get caught, promise. Besides, you said yourself, you’ll do all the talking.”

Sokka slipped on his helmet and began to lift the canoe.

“I hope I don’t regret this…”

***

Azula was close to losing it.

She prided herself on her ability to keep calm under pressure, but ever since she had left the palace, she had been on edge, strained.

She had screamed at the prisoner earlier. The girl was Water Tribe and deserved it, but still, it was unprofessional. A Princess should know better. _She_ should know better.

And now the girl had escaped. 

She was determined to be smart about this. She had seen the girl’s bending in the village, it had been flimsy at best, nowhere near controlled enough to make an escape from anywhere _but_ the Top Deck.

So that was where she waited.

Azula scanned the deck like a hawk, looking for the smallest thing out of place, the slightest possibility of an escape.

In the forty-five minutes since the girl had been reported missing, she had followed up on five of such incidents, all of which summing up to something along the lines of an _“unfortunate misunderstanding.”_

So it was surprising, to say the least, when two guards came out of nowhere, stumbling around with _a_ _canoe, of all things._ Very surprised, and even more suspicious.

“Names and rank,” she said, approaching them.

She could see the duo still as they silently tried to answer.

Finally the guard in front spoke up.

“Wang... Fire, and-”

Azula turned to the guard hiding behind him.

“Your name is _Fire_?” she asked her.

The guard froze, her head locked so completely onto her feet that Azula thought that the woman’s neck may give out entirely.

After a moment or two of silence, she spoke.

“It’s short for Sapphire.”

Azula tapped her foot.

“So your names are Wang… and Sapphire. Haven’t heard of you.”

Wang nodded. 

“Well, it’s a big ship.”

“Sure it is. Now what are you two doing with this canoe here? I didn’t order one to be moved up from storage.”

“You see,” Wang started. “Our boss said the exact opposite. He actually told us-”

Azula silenced him with the move of her hand.

“The only one you answer to is me. _I_ am in command of this ship, as of today, and I didn’t order a canoe to be brought to the top deck.”

The two guards turned to meet each other's eyes.

“Erm, of course… Ma'am… We'll bring this back down to storage, right away, Ma'am.”

As the girl turned around, Azula noticed a flash of color around her neck.

“Wait!”

“Yes Ma'am?” Sapphire turned around.

“That thing on your neck, what is it?”

The guard's eyes widened and she clutched the necklace, making eye contact with the other guard.

“I-”

“Uh-oh. Canoeing emergency. Got to go, very important!” he said, before rushing off with Sapphire on his tail, the canoe between them.

“Guards!” Azula called, already racing after them. “ They're impostors! Sound the alarm!”

A horn started blaring as she followed the impostors, who were making a beeline for the side of the ship with the canoe in hand.

Azula sent out a burst of blue fire, the girl tripping and falling to the deck, her helmet coming free to reveal the escaped waterbender.

“Sokka, get the canoe ready!” she called. “I'll hold her off.”

The boy, Sokka, looked back at her.

“Can you handle that, Katara? She beat you up pretty bad last time.”

Katara gritted her teeth and stood back up, pulling a wave of water with her from over the side of the ship.

“I'm going to have to.”

Azula sent out another flame at the girl, close enough now to get into a fighting stance.

As it neared, Katara shifted the wall of water slightly, just enough to extinguish it before it hit her.

Azula's eyes narrowed.

She went bigger, sending two bigger flames her way, both of which were put out by the waterbender.

A sound of footsteps behind her caused her to turn around, seeing Zuko and their Uncle come to a stop by her side.

_This ought to be fun._

Azula watched the girl tire as she and her brother launched volley after volley of flame, Katara holding her wall of water just enough to avoid being burned, bringing the veil closer to her body with each blocked blast, to the point where they were touching all over.

When the shield was near enough, Azula started her real plan, launching into a complicated stance as she felt the beginnings of lightning stirring at her fingertips.

_Now._

A lightning bolt burst forth, Katara's eyes widening as she saw it was heading straight towards her.

In a desperate gambit, she pushed _out,_ sending the water away from her and towards the lightning, a wave of electrified water now heading straight for the firebenders.

Azula watched as Katara’s water hit her lightning, the two forming in a deadly combo.

 _I did it!_ She thought for a moment before realizing what had happened.

The girl was fine, but the wave was now heading right for her.

There was no way out of this, she saw that now. Fire would just go out, lightning would 

make it worse. 

This is where she would die.

Her banished brother and disgraced uncle by her side in the _motherfucking South Pole,_ _of all places._

She wouldn't allow that.

Without thinking, Azula pushed against the wave, against the bender, against everything that stood in her way.

When she opened her eyes, the wave was gone, and the girl was in the water.

She stared for a moment in shock.

What had just happened? What did- _what did she do?_

Azula heard a strangled noise from behind her.

“You- you- you _airbent!_ ” Zuko whispered.

Her eyes widened.

Is that what she did? _Huh._

The next thing she felt was the clang of metal on the back of her head before she slipped into oblivion.

***

Zuko stood over his sister's unconscious body, discarded helmet in hand, a dent visible from where it had collided with her head (as well as a boomerang, he remembered).

But this was no boomerang.

Azula had _airbent._

His sister, _Azula_ had _airbent._

He knew exactly what that meant.

He met eyes with Uncle, who also seemed frozen in shock, before calling out to the guards, voice cracking.

“Guards, please see that my sister is escorted to the brig. The wooden cell, if you would.”

He gulped.

“And retrieve the waterbender from off the side of the boat. I think she’ll want to stay now that we have her accomplice in custody.”

Zuko stilled when he felt a hand rest upon his shoulder.

“Nephew, are you okay?” 

It was Uncle.

He paused, so long that Iroh thought he might not answer at all.

“I don't know,” he admitted finally. “I really don't know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when you write an entire complicated escape plan that takes up the entire chapter instead of just. having them immediately run upstairs because you know they're going to get captured anyways- (at least this way i think Sokka would be proud)
> 
> Also I'm editing this at 5AM so apologies for typos and shit!


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